VaPreps Class 6 All-State Hoops Teams for 2017-18

VirginiaPreps.com is proud to release our 10th Annual All-State Basketball Teams.

There are a total of 12 honorees with six players, including a Player of the Year, for First Team and six more on the Second Team.

So what are the factors that go into the choices that are made? All selections are made by me with no consultation of the coaches simply because that’s what the VHSCA and VHSL Teams are designed for in my opinion. However, we try to study individual statistics (some supplied by coaches upon request) as well as factor into the equation team success and overall impact.

Once everything is weighed, we try to blend it all together and make the best choices possible, even though there’s no such thing as a perfect team or right and wrong picks.

It’s never an easy process because there are always many deserving players who don’t get recognized on First or Second Team.

Without further ado, here’s the VirginiaPreps.com Class 6 All-State Basketball Teams for the 2017-18 campaign with information bios on each player . . .

Class 6 First Team:
Quentin Millora-Brown - South County - Sr.
Brayden Gault - Battlefield - Sr.
D.J. Driscoll - Western Branch - Sr.
Ike Onwuka - Patriot - Sr.
Chandler Taylor - Franklin County - Sr.
Tayvion Robinson - Cox - Jr.

Player of the Year: Quentin Millora-Brown (South County)
Coach of the Year: Mike Robinson (South County)

Class 6 Second Team:
Kendall Bynum - Western Branch - Jr.
Jordan Hairston - Westfield - Jr.
Jordan Gibson - Stonewall Jackson - Sr.
Daryl Mackey Jr. - West Potomac - Jr.
Nyzaiah Chambers - Oscar Smith - Sr.
Daniel Deaver - George Marshall - Jr.

The 6-foot-10 air craft carrier in the middle for the Stallions simply dominated in his lone season with the Lorton school after transferring over from Bishop O'Connell. Millora-Brown put up averages of 16.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.2 blocks and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 68% from the field and posting 17 double-doubles. He also posted a quadruple-double of 28 points, 19 boards, 10 blocks and 10 assists in the regional playoffs vs. Woodbridge.

As the games got bigger and the lights brighter, the guy known as 'Q' performed even better, with averages of 17.6 points, 14.6 rebounds, 6.0 blocks and 4.6 assists per game during the State Tournament. It's rare for someone from the center position to tally eight assists in the State Championship game, yet the Rice University signee did to go with 13 points and 17 boards as South County beat Western Branch 63-47 for the Class 6 crown.

Leading Battlefield to its second regional title in three years as well as second State Tournament Final trip in three seasons, Gault was often the go-to guy for the Bobcats over that time. In fact, the 6-foot-4 wing graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1618 career points.

As a senior, Gault averaged team highs of 17.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game while the Bobcats went 21-10 overall. He has signed to play his College Basketball at Division II Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.

Named Region 6A Player of the Year, and Southeastern District Player of the Year Driscoll was arguably the most consistent performer on a Bruins team that began the season 20-0 and earned its second straight State Tournament berth. The 6-foot-6 baseline threat regularly posted double-doubles in averaging 17 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

Without Driscoll's steady play in the paint, it's hard to imagine Western Branch going 25-3 overall and reaching the State Championship game for the first time in program history. At the next level, he will play at Montgomery College in Maryland.

Selected as the Cedar Run District Player of the Year in both football and basketball, Onwuka overcame his lack of great height - being just 5-foot-9 - at the point guard spot to drive the Pioneers to their most successful season in team history (15-8 overall).

Onwuka had 24 points and seven rebounds to help the Pioneers beat Osbourn to wrap up the Cedar Run District regular season crown, yet arguably his most memorable moment was going coast-to-coast for a buzzer-beating lay-up in a win over Oscar Smith that netted him MVP honors at the VaPreps Classic. The First Team All-Region performer raised his scoring average from 11.1 points per game as a junior to 16.4 points per game during his senior campaign.

The 5-foot-8 senior point guard made a second consecutive State Tournament appearance attainable for Franklin County as he enjoyed a stellar senior campaign. This past season, Taylor averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 40.2% from the field and 79.9% at the charity stripe.

Taylor, who also had 78 steals on the season, did all he could for the Eagles in their 53-50 State Tournament quarterfinal loss to Cox as he put up 25 points - 19 in the fourth quarter alone - and made five three-pointers. For his career, he finished with 1037 points and reached in double-figures in the final 30 games in which he wore a Franklin County uniform.

It's rare to earn First Team All-State accolades in both sports, but Robinson was good enough to do that in his junior season while leading the Falcons to their first ever regional title on the hardwood. The 6-foot-tall guard really delivered in a grand way during the team's thrilling 51-50 comeback win over Oscar Smith in the regional semifinals, where he scored all 19 of his points with 15 of them - including a buzzer-beater - in the final stanza.

Before this season, Cox had never advanced in the regional playoffs, but with Robinson's help, the secured their first State Tournament appearance and had 21 wins - the program's most since 1997-98. This two-sport standout rose his scoring average from 13.4 points per game in the regular season to 18.6 points per contest in the playoffs, highlighted by a 32-point effort in a 74-65 overtime loss to Western Branch in the State Tournament semifinals.

With just three seniors on the roster, Robinson's Stallions finished strong, riding a 16-game winning streak to close the season as they captured the program's first ever state title. In fact, before this year, South County had never reached the State Tournament before in basketball, something none of the other five VHSL State Champs in 2018 could say.

Robinson, who played at Purdue University, orchestrated an immense turnaround as South County went from 9-15 overall the year before to 27-3 overall last winter. Their closest postseason call was a 41-40 victory in the State Tournament quarterfinals over Madison, which eliminated them 66-40 one season prior in the opening round of regionals.

It's no coincidence that Western Branch has gone from 10-13 during Bynum's freshman season to 45-12 over the past two years with a pair of State Tournament Final trips, including this year's first ever appearance in the State Championship game. Though denied a regional or state title, the 6-foot-tall floor general has allowed the Bruins to be successful in big games and close contests.

The First Team All-Region and All-Southeastern District performer averaged 13.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Bruins. But perhaps his defining moment came against Oscar Smith, who they swept last season after losing to nine straight times before the 2017-18 campaign. Bynum rallied the Bruins from 11 down with 1:39 to play on the road and drilled the game-winner from the left wing with 2.3 seconds to play.

After Westfield went through a 6-15 mark and uncharacteristic down year that saw them miss regionals in 2016-17, Hairston propelled the Bulldogs back into contention as he put up 18.5 points per game to lead them to the regional semifinals, following overtime victories over South Lakes and Stonewall Jackson. The 6-foot-tall junior guard earned Region 6D Player of the Year honors as the Bulldogs finished 15-10 overall.

Hairston, who holds an offer from Boston University, knocked down 47 three-pointers and shot 78.4% from the free-throw line (78.4%). There were marquee performances with 35 points against Lake Braddock and 31 vs. Stonewall Jackson, but best of all, the Bulldogs were 9-1 when he scored 20-plus.

This 6-foot-5 swingman signed to play his College Basketball at Division I Presbyterian College averaged 19.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists per game as the Raiders went 16-8 overall. That was an improvement from his junior year when Stonewall Jackson finished 11-12, though advanced to the second round of the region playoffs on his game-winning shot at the buzzer against Chantilly.

More defenses geared to try to stop Gibson, who still managed to shoot 49% from the field, 59% inside the arc, 83% at the foul line (76-of-92) and sink 40 three-pointers. To no surprise, he was named First Team All-Region 6D.

Chosen First Team All-Occoquan Region 6C, Mackey was the most prolific scorer in the state at the Class 6 level in averaging 24.2 points per game with 38 three-pointers and shot 73.7% from the free-throw line (132-of-179). His 40-point outing against North Stafford got plenty of people's attention, but what also shouldn't be overlooked is the fact his lowest output was 13 points, further showing how consistent he was as a scorer.

West Potomac was hit extremely hard by graduation, thus they opened just 1-8 overall after getting to the State Tournament the year before. Mackey helped the Wolverines go 8-7 over their final 15 games, which included a 55-40 win over defending State Champion W.T. Woodson in the opening round of the region playoffs.

With a 84-18 mark over the past four seasons, the senior class Chambers was a part of did more winning than any other in Oscar Smith basketball history. The 6-foot-7 center was an intimidating presence around the basket as he averaged 14.2 points, 12 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game on his way to First Team All-Region 6A and All-Southeastern District accolades.

Chambers recorded three triple-doubles, one of them being when he tallied 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks in a victory over Lakeland. None of Oscar Smith's losses came by double-digits, and the man in the middle was key in essentially giving them a chance to win every time out.

With big man Jack Foley off to D-2 Augusta University in Georgia, few could've expected the Statesmen to duplicate the 19-8 mark they posted during the 2016-17 campaign. However, with Deaver at the forefront, George Marshall actually had a better record in going 23-3 overall before a 55-49 loss to Battlefield in the regional semifinals.

This 6-foot-7 junior forward/center averaged 16.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 blocks per game on his way to First Team All-Region 6D honors. He had 29 points in the Bulldog Bash Tournament Championship, where he took home MVP honors as the Statesmen beat South County. The development in Deaver's game hasn't been lost on colleges as he already holds a Division I offer from Coppin State University.

*** See VaPreps 6A All-State Teams for 2016-17 Here ***

*** View VHSL Class 6 All-State Teams for 2017-18 Here ***

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10 AM to Noon on ESPN Radio 94.1.